August 2025 | 2431 words | 9-minute read
A Telecom Giant in the Making
In 2000, Tata Power sought to monetize its extensive optical fiber network in Mumbai and partnered with the newly formed Tejas Networks. Tejas Networks developed a carrier-class product, the TJ 100, which successfully addressed Tata Power's needs and exemplified a culture of innovation. By FY25, Tejas Networks, now part of the Tata Group, had completed a significant 4G/5G deployment for BSNL, covering 1 lakh cell sites, which significantly boosted its revenue and profits due to its indigenous technology. The company has since expanded its technology portfolio, including wireless and wireline technologies, and has been instrumental in major projects like BharatNet and vessel tracking systems. With over 525 global patents and a strong focus on R&D, Tejas Networks continues to enhance India's telecommunications infrastructure, aiming to be a top global player in network products.
A Telecom Giant in the Making
In 2000, Tata Power sought to monetize its extensive optical fibre network in Mumbai by entering the bandwidth services market. Tejas Networks, then a nascent company, partnered with Tata Power to develop an end-to-end optical network. This collaboration involved creating the TJ 100, a product designed to aggregate multiple 2 MBPS signals into a 155 MBPS optical signal, showcasing Tejas Networks' capability for innovation.
By 2025, Tejas Networks, now a part of the Tata Group, had significantly expanded its operations. It completed a major project for BSNL, deploying 4G/5G technology across 1 lakh cell sites in India, which significantly boosted its revenues and profits due to the indigenous nature of the technology used. This project not only underlined Tejas Networks' growth but also positioned India among the few countries with homegrown mobile network technology.
The company's focus on R&D has been a cornerstone of its strategy, leading to the development of multiple telecom solutions that address the transition from 2G to 4G/5G, and the modernization of networks to support data transmission. This focus has also resulted in over 525 global patents and significant advancements in semiconductor design, enhancing its product offerings across wireless, fibre access, and optical transport technologies.
Tejas Networks' role in the BSNL project was pivotal, involving the provision of hardware and software for essential network components. This project was part of a broader government initiative to enhance internet accessibility across India, including rural areas, leveraging the existing BSNL network.
Looking ahead, Tejas Networks aims to become a top global player in communication network products. Its comprehensive portfolio, strong R&D capabilities, and the backing of the Tata Group poise it for further growth, both in India and internationally. The company's journey from a startup to a key player in telecom equipment highlights its commitment to innovation and the development of cutting-edge, cost-effective technology solutions.
A Telecom Giant in the Making
In 2000, Tata Power sought to monetize its extensive optical fiber network in Mumbai by entering the bandwidth services market. Tejas Networks, a newly established company, partnered with Tata Power to develop an end-to-end optical network. Initially, Tejas used products from a larger manufacturer but faced a disproportionate investment for one critical product. Instead, Tejas innovated and created the TJ 100 within six months, a product that converted multiple 2 MBPS electrical signals into a 155 MBPS optical signal, marking the beginning of their research-driven innovation culture.
By 2025, Tejas Networks, now part of the Tata Group, successfully completed one of the world's largest 4G/5G deployment projects for BSNL, covering 1 lakh cell sites across India. This project, completed in 18 months, was part of a ₹7,492 crore deal led by Tata Consultancy Services. This accomplishment led to a record revenue of ₹8,923 crore and a net profit of ₹447 crore for Tejas Networks in FY25, marking a significant year-on-year growth.
Tejas Networks has developed a fully indigenous 4G/5G radio technology stack for the BSNL project, positioning India among the few nations with homegrown mobile network technology. The company further secured an additional order worth ₹1,526 crore for 18,685 BSNL sites.
The founders of Tejas Networks, Sanjay Nayak, Arnob Roy, and Dr. Kumar N Sivarajan, aimed to develop globally competitive and indigenous technology products that cater to India’s unique challenges. They focused on replacing costly imports with innovative local solutions, establishing Tejas as a leader in telecom network products.
Tejas Networks has invested significantly in R&D, spending ₹557 crore in FY25, resulting in over 525 global patents and more than 350 semiconductor IP blocks. These efforts have expanded their product portfolio to include wireless (4G/5G), fibre access (FTTX), optical transport, and switching and routing solutions. This diverse range has enabled the company to power 500 networks in over 75 countries.
The BSNL project exemplifies Tejas Networks' commitment to delivering advanced technology on a large scale. The project involved upgrading BSNL’s existing network to 4G/5G, requiring all solutions to be indigenous due to the critical nature of telecommunications infrastructure.
Looking ahead, optical fibre is expected to become ubiquitous, akin to electricity. Tejas Networks foresees a future where a combination of optical fibre and wireless networks, including 4G/5G/6G and satellite communications, will ensure comprehensive network coverage. This vision was bolstered by the acquisition of Saankhya Labs in 2022, enhancing their capabilities in satellite communications and semiconductor design.
Tejas Networks' growth trajectory has been remarkable, with a tenfold increase in revenue from FY23 to FY25. The company’s strategic focus on R&D and indigenous manufacturing has not only fueled its growth but also positioned it as a key player in India’s digital transformation. This includes significant contributions to projects like BharatNet, which aims to provide broadband access to rural India, and various other initiatives enhancing connectivity and technology access across the country.
As Tejas Networks continues to innovate and expand its technological capabilities, it aims to become one of the top 10 communication network product companies globally within the next five to six years, leveraging the Tata Group’s brand strength and its robust R&D foundation to meet the growing demand for high-speed, reliable internet services worldwide.
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In the year 2000, Tata Power needed a solution. They had miles of optical fibre laid out for their energy operations in Mumbai. They wanted to monetise it for the then nascent bandwidth services market and were looking for partners who could help them do it. Tejas Networks, which had just been set up, stepped in and offered to build an end-to-end optical network for the company.
For much of the work, Tejas Networks implemented a solution using products from a larger manufacturer, but procuring one critical product would demand a disproportionate investment. Instead, the company simply got to work, innovated, designed and manufactured the required carrier-class product — which aggregated multiple 2Mbps electrical signals and mapped them to a 155Mbps optical signal — from scratch within six months. This was the TJ100, which not only addressed Tata Power’s needs but also set the tone for a culture of research-driven innovation.
Twenty-five years later, Tejas Networks is now part of the Tata Group and has completed one of the largest 4G/5G deployment projects in the world — one lakh cell sites across India — for BSNL. The company won the INR 7,492-crore deal as part of a consortium led by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and completed it in a record time of 18 months, by the end of FY25. As a result, Tejas Networks reported an all-time high net revenue of INR 8,923 crore (261% year-on-year increase) and net profit of INR 447 crore (609% surge) in FY25.
The BSNL project utilises Tejas Networks’ indigenous 4G/5G radio technology stack (components needed to run a mobile network), placing India among the few nations with fully homegrown mobile network technology. In 2023, the company, one of the few fully integrated providers of telecom equipment in India, secured an add-on order worth INR 1,526 crore for 18,685 BSNL sites.
We have a strong R&D focus, a range of products in production and in the pipeline, an extended manufacturing ecosystem, government support and, most importantly, the brand strength of the Tata group. This will help us grow stronger not only in India but also reach global markets more effectively. - Arnob Roy
The launch pad
Telecommunications is an ever-evolving field, and the founders of Tejas Networks — Sanjay Nayak, Arnob Roy, and Dr Kumar N Sivarajan — realised early on the potential to develop globally competitive technology products in India that also addressed the country’s unique challenges. With networks becoming critical highways for a technology-driven future, the company set out to replace costly imports with innovative, indigenous solutions. Their mission? “To be India’s first global telecom network and products company with an end-to-end suite of products,” says Mr Nayak.
“Tejas Networks emerged from the desire to build networking products in India,” adds Mr Nayak. “The telecom revolution was evolving at a rapid pace at that time, but most of the products were imported, and often over-designed for the need they were serving. We wanted to provide a viable and cost-effective alternative that was world-class, future-proof and yet home-grown. We were one of the first Indian technology product start-ups and continue to be one of the few homegrown ones,” he adds, underlining the challenges in the telecom product market as well as the company’s resilience.
Focus on R&D
With its in-house R&D, the company could build innovative products that provide efficient solutions for the evolving needs of new generation networks, not only in India but also in global markets. Some of these include efficient solutions for network migration as they transition from 2G to 4G/5G, modernising networks from voice to data-carrying infrastructure, converged solutions for multiple broadband access technologies, and cost-effective capacity upgrades of optical backbone networks.
These solutions also accelerated the iteration and deployment cycle, enhancing the company’s appeal through greater agility and cost-efficiency. Its investments in R&D — INR 557 crore in FY25 — have resulted in 525+ global patents and 350+ semiconductor intellectual property blocks used in custom chip designs. This focus on technology keeps it agile, adaptive and competitive, evolving from offering optical networking solutions to delivering advanced 4G and 5G connectivity solutions.
Its comprehensive portfolio now includes wireless (4G/5G), fibre access (FTTX), optical transport (PTN, OTN, DWDM), switching and routing (Ethernet, IP/MPLS), and the company is strengthening its capabilities in related technology domains such as satellite communications, direct-to-mobile broadcast and semiconductor design. Today, its reliable, scalable, and efficient products power 500+ networks in 75+ countries — the invisible infrastructure that connects every device to another.
The BSNL project
The importance of Tejas Networks’ indigenous products and services is best illustrated with its work on the BSNL project, where it delivers cutting-edge technology on an immense scale, across both urban and rural India. “The government has a bold vision for internet access; it wants to reach as many citizens as possible and not limit high-end services to a select few,” says Dr Sivarajan, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, Tejas Networks, who oversaw the product development. “It made sense to upgrade the existing BSNL network, given its already established coverage in rural India.”
For this country-wide migration to 4G/ 5G, a key government requirement was that the entire solution needed to be homegrown, as telecommunications is critical infrastructure. “Many of the 1 lakh+ sites are in remote locations, from intense desert heat to high-altitude cold,” says Dr Sivarajan. “Given the indigenous mandate, our products were designed, developed and assembled in-house. It is a testament to the excellence and innovation prowess of our R&D team that our products passed BSNL’s rigorous 18-month field testing.”
Due to the project’s scale and the emphasis on secure, reliable technology, the government wanted a partner with full ownership of intellectual property rights. “If you look at a mobile tower by BSNL or any operator, you can see the antenna, which is a vertical box at the top, a weather-protected squarish box behind it called the remote radio head (RRH), and another box at the base of the tower, which we call the baseband unit (BBU),” explains Mr Roy. “Simply put, the antenna traps the electromagnetic waves from your phone, be they voice or data. The RRH converts them into digital signals, and the BBU processes these signals before forwarding this ‘traffic’ over an optical backhaul network to what is called the mobile core located at BSNL’s data centres. Tejas Networks supplies the hardware and software for the RRH, BBU and backhaul components in BSNL’s 4G/5G network.”
The mobile core, a sophisticated software suite developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics, Government of India, directs a request to wherever it is supposed to go. There are other critical software as well, that include operating systems, business and management layers, billing and other applications. All these are managed by TCS, the project’s lead partner and system integrator.
A converged future
“In the not-so-distant future, optical fibre is likely to reach every home, much like electricity,” says Dr Sivarajan. “The physics of optical fibre makes it an attractive proposition — you are basically using light to transmit data through glass fibre, a refractive medium. A single optical fibre pair can combine multiple wavelengths simultaneously, and each wavelength is capable of carrying terabits of data. In the last mile, a Wi-Fi or wireless network can bring data to your devices.”
He adds, “However, due to a variety of reasons, such as difficult terrains, accessibility challenges, and right-of-way issues associated with optical fibre deployments, wireless connectivity options serve as cost-effective alternatives in many situations. Hence, telecom operators tend to use a combination of optical fibre, wireless 4G/5G/6G and satellite networks to achieve network ubiquity, which calls for a wide range of wireless and wireline products that help with the interplay.”
"In the not-so-distant future, optical fibre is likely to reach every home, much like electricity" Dr Sivarajan
This creates an immense opportunity for Tejas Networks, which started with optical networking products and has added significant capabilities in diverse wireless and wireline networking technologies. The acquisition of Saankhya Labs in 2022 unlocked new opportunities in satellite communications broadcast and fabless semiconductor design capabilities, propelling the company into a league of its own.
“The convergence of multiple technologies is our secret sauce,” explains Mr Roy. “Even our global competitors do not have all these product capabilities under one roof. For example, for the BSNL project, we deployed what we call the ‘ultra-converged transport product’, where mobile broadband (4G/5G baseband), fibre broadband and optical transport technologies are all integrated in one compact shelf. Most other companies would require different stand-alone products for each of these applications. This makes Tejas Networks an attractive proposition for customers.”
The India play
Tejas Networks’ contribution towards a digitised India extends far beyond the BSNL project.
BharatNet: It is a key supplier for one of the world’s biggest rural broadband projects. Its gigabit passive optical network (GPON) equipment has been rolled out in 1 lakh+ gram panchayats. Phase 3 will connect ~7 lakh villages using solar-powered optical network terminals built for low power and rugged areas.
Vessel tracking: In FY24 Tejas Netowrks won an INR 96.42 crore order from India’s Department of Space for its Tejas Mobile Satellite Terminals, built using its software-defined radio chipsets. They are installed on 33,000+ coastal fishing vessels, enabling real-time communication, location tracking, boundary alerts, and weather alerts. There are plans to deploy them on ~45,000 boats, forming one of the largest satellite-IoT networks.
Switching and routing: Its switching platforms — devices to manage and direct data traffic — are used to develop smart and safe cities. They are used to control public cameras, Wi-Fi networks, announcement systems, and sensors, and connect them all into one large command centre.
RailWire: It enabled high-speed wireless broadband services at 4,700+ rural Indian railway stations.
Direct-to-mobile (D2M) education project:
The company has successfully integrated D2M capability into Intel-powered laptops. Terrestrial TV signals are used to deliver educational live TV, video, audio and text messages directly to mobile devices without the need for Wi-Fi or internet service, providing access to education in connectivity-underserved areas.
Indigenous manufacturing boost: Tejas Networks follows a scalable, asset light model by manufacturing in India, partnering with electronic manufacturing services companies. “Initially, we relied on partners outside India, because the capability to deliver on precision was not available,” says Mr Roy. “But over time, we have moved completely to Indian providers.”
Software-defined HardwareTM
What sets Tejas Networks apart from other global players is its game-changing Software-defined Hardware™ architecture. This involves designing programmable telecom hardware, like routers, switches, and optical devices, in a way that their functions can be controlled and updated through software. This system was put in practice from its very first product — the TJ100, a compact, modular optical networking platform for voice and data services.
This Software-defined Hardware™ philosophy ensures Tejas Networks’ products are cost-effective and more importantly, future-proof. Their open architecture enables the hardware to keep pace with changing requirements as networks scale up and become more efficient, and supports implementation of advanced software.
Growth trajectory
Tejas Networks has witnessed steady growth since its founding in 2000. The past three fiscal years show a sharp rise in operational revenue — from INR 922 crore in FY23 to INR 8,923 crore in FY25, a ~10x increase. While R&D spends have increased, overall revenue has grown even faster, pointing to enhanced operational efficiency. The company’s EBIT has improved, rising from a loss of INR 104 crore in FY23 to a profit of INR 905 crore in FY25. Similarly, profit after tax (PAT) also saw a strong turnaround, from a INR 36 crore loss to a profit of INR 447 crore, with a 5% PAT margin.
Its robust growth in FY25 is attributed to the completion of the BSNL project it secured in 2023 — Tejas Networks was the sole supplier of 4G/5G radio access network (RAN) equipment covering 1 lakh+ sites.
“In the initial years, our products were focused towards providing wireline network solutions,” says Mr Roy, Co-founder, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer. “With the addition of wireless products to our portfolio, through the BSNL project, our addressable market and business have grown significantly.”
Innovation at scale
With a focus on deep technology and R&D, Tejas Networks has a rich portfolio of 525+ global patents and has deployed 10 lakh+ systems across the globe. Given the complexity and number of components that go into each product, the company does the final assembly in its own facility. “Some products have certain common components and almost all components we use have multiple suppliers,” explains Mr Roy. “In addition, we rigorously test each product for performance at various stages of production.” The company maintains tight control over product design and quality, ensuring seamless performance across multiple technology generations — from 2G and 3G to 4G and 5G — without network disruptions.
Its hardware designs leverage next-generation programmable chipsets and reconfigurable circuitry, supported by both commercial and in-house automation tools. A unique feature of its products is their common software code base, consisting of over three million lines of code. This ensures consistency and quality across all products, from access devices to large switches. This approach also facilitates global adaptability with incremental country-specific modifications.
In the initial years, our products were focused towards providing wireline network solutions. With the addition of wireless products to our portfolio, through the BSNL project, our addressable market and business have grown significantly. - Arnob Roy
Products undergo extensive testing in hardware labs, including simulations of real-time field scenarios using 1,000km+ of optical fibre. They are also subjected to extreme environmental testing and functional verification. The company’s meticulous R&D process has played a pivotal role in transforming India’s telecom landscape and positioned it as a disruptor, challenging global giants with made-in-India innovations.
The path ahead
The company is now aiming to become one of “the top 10 communication network product companies in five to six years,” says Mr Roy, highlighting its robust foundation. “We have a strong R&D focus, a range of products in production and in the pipeline, an extended manufacturing ecosystem, government support and, most importantly, the brand strength of the Tata group. This will help us grow stronger not only in India but also reach global markets more effectively.”
As connectivity becomes a necessity for business and modern life, and the demand for high-speed, immersive internet experiences grows exponentially, Tejas Networks is at the right place to deliver indigenous, future-proof and cost-effective products at scale for India and the world.
- Haroon Bijli
